Efforts to move Canmore’s Urban Growth Boundary to include the former ranger station were defeated last week in a split vote.
Council voted 3-3 on the proposed amendment to the Municipal Development Plan, which saw it defeated.
Councillors Hans Helder, Ed Russell and Gordie Miskow voted in support of the application by landowner Marjorie Bridge to put her property and her neighbours’ inside Canmore’s growth boundary.
Mayor Ron Casey and councillors Joanna McCallum and John Borrowman voted against the motion, while Coun. Jim Ridley was absent from the meeting.
Casey said there is no question the change would benefit the landowners, but the question is whether or not it benefits the community.
“I cannot put my finger on one community-wide benefit other than landowners increasing their profit on this site,” said the mayor. “While I appreciate it and understand where everyone is coming from, the truth is there is nothing to demonstrate a benefit other than a one-time profit windfall for owners.”
Assistant development planner Patrick Sorfleet said the boundary is one of the tools the municipality uses for growth management.
“Each case to amend the MDP needs to be treated separately and determined by council if there is a net benefit,” he said.
Sorfleet pointed out that the test for changing the MDP “should demonstrate substantial benefit to the community, be supported by the community (in council’s view), not cause unacceptable impact to the community and meet the policies and criteria of the MDP.
“The purpose of the urban growth boundary is to concentrate growth and direct it to where the Town wants it to occur,” he said, adding the changes would create a leapfrog development scenario inconsistent with criteria in the MDP. Administration is therefore suggesting that council not proceed with this bylaw.”
In addition to changing the growth boundary, the application also sought to change the conceptual land use of the area from conservation to future urban growth – residential development.
